Wordie on DDD

Thursday, February 17, 2011

It came across my mind the other day that we all have some pretty unique props to use around our homes for taking some fabulous photos of our jewelry. For fun I thought I might try a few, well, let's say, new approaches that perhaps nobody as tried before!

First I made this fun little bracelet, and someone in my house was asking to model it when I started photographing it...so I thought...what the heck. Maybe this will be a new approach to my photos since I have used her fur as a background to some of my pieces!

Well, then the fun kicked in. Thank goodness she is a fun and willing participant.

These pretty Quartz Rhondelles we just got from Elizabeth (Foret) yesterday, so I didn't make anything with them yet, they are just so pretty! Don't they make a nice bracelet for Lyric?

And a Nice Crown Too!

Oh...I don't think Lily thinks they make a good crown! She is looking like a gremlin here rather than the Queen B she usually is!!!!

Well, I am sure you have many of your own little props around your house. Maybe you too could blog about it. Maybe this will entice our sales fairy to visit and get a glimpse of our models!

This is something I may not post on my ETSY site, but for fun, share with my JET team and Butterfly Team!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

I Love what I do! Making jewelry is a passion, one of many that I have. I love to watch people try on pieces at the shows and say "This is soooo different...I love it" or "How Unique"! These words are music to an artisan's ears! My butterfly necklaces are my best seller and definately what people have come to know me and Debra's Divine Designs as. The one big question I get asked often is "Do you catch the butterflies yourself?" My Answer is "No, many of these species aren't even natural to Canada and are only found in locations such as Peru or Indonesia. Plus, I do NOT believe in LIVE catching butterflies. I only believe in purchasing species through a legitimate governed source. So....you will never see me skipping through a field of daisies with a butterfly net chasing butterflies!

ALL butterflies that I use are farmed and not wild caught so that the natural populations of the butterflies are not being depleted by poachers. Through

my art, this provides an opportunity for me to promote stewardship and conservation of each Butterfly and to educate people about the risks that many are facing.

There are alot of Butterfly Hunters out there who Poach Butterflies. Be sure if you use Butterflies in your art, that you get your specimens from a legitimate source. My source is Thorne's Insect Shoppe ltd., http://www.thornesinsects.com/aboutus.html who are one of the largest dried but retailers in North America and have been in business for over 25 years. All of the butterfly wings are bred on farms all over the world. Whole communities actually raise and care for these beautiful winged friends of the earth. The specimens are used for education, inspiration, collectibles and art and are exported all over the world. Not all of the butterflies bred on these farms are sold as specimens many are released into the wild to mate and maintain healthy species populations.

99% of the Wings I use are from imperfect or damaged specimens I have purchased that collectors can’t utilize due to a broken wing or antennae or leg. I can still use the broken wing for mosaic pieces and the other wings for my full pieces

Monarchs are a Species at Risk and are specially protected by the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources under the Endangered Species Act (2007). Because of this, no Monarchs are used in any of art pieces. By simply planting milkweed in your gardens, you can help dramatically increase the Monarch population once again”.

My hope is that the wearer of my pieces will learn more about their new butterfly friend, and want to share their environment, where it comes from and how others can help to conserve it’s land and preserve the butterfly’s heritage. People everywhere will stop you and ask you about your piece, so it will be so empowering and fun for you to be able to share your winged friend’s hope for future generations to enjoy.

For more information on this or any other information on your Butterfly, Please Email me at debrasdivinedesigns@rogers.com

Deb Jeffries

About Me

As in every art form, unique jewelry has the power
to enhance beauty, create moods, provoke opinions and produce reactions.Crystals, metals & gemstones have been
known to have the power to restore, heal and protect since the beginning of
time.

At her studio in London, Ontario, Debra spends time
creating pieces that reflect current style, elegance, uniqueness, and above
all, fun.This is the design
philosophy that jewelry designer Debra Jeffries follows in creating and
developing her own unique collection of hand-made jewelry. She designs her
pieces for the wearer to enhance their natural beauty with a complementary
color and style.When the mood strikes
to create, Debra finds inspiration for her designs from the beauty and power of
nature.

Debra loves to watch people try pieces on in her
studio or at one of the home parties that she hosts.“It is so inspiring to see other people realize that jewelry can
be beautiful without having to always conform to what is expected,"

One of the artist’s most popular pieces are her
butterfly wing pendants!“The colors
and beauty are so lively and complex.I
just had to try to capture their beauty and share what their short lives
produced”Debra works hard to share the
Monarch’s “At Risk” status with others and explains to all who ask why Monarch
wings are never used in her pieces.

Living in Canada offers Debraboundless opportunities to enjoy the beauty
of the outdoors and to be inspired by the power of nature.This is what she feels makes jewelry
really, truly memorable unusual and valuable.